as in second
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Recent Examples of second fiddle
Unfortunately, similar to the (albeit heartwarming) tale between a restaurant garbage boy and Remy the rat, O’Connor — much like Linguini — was stuck playing second fiddle tonight on SNL, puppeted to and fro from sketch to sketch that sidelined his comedic talents.
—
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
Down ⬇ Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value Panahi’s rise has sapped momentum from Neon’s other big foreign-language contender, which is now playing second fiddle to its stablemate.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Overall, though, Harvey continued to round into a complete three-down back Sunday after playing second fiddle to Dobbins for much of the year.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
The Ed Gein Story and All’s Fair were met with critical hostility — the first is a thematically repetitive and exploitative condemnation of true crime and the audience who loves it, the second a bizarrely overqualified ensemble of acting titans playing second fiddle to Kim Kardashian.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 Dec. 2025
Down ⬇ Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value Panahi’s rise has sapped momentum from Neon’s other big foreign-language contender, which is now playing second fiddle to its stablemate.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Overall, though, Harvey continued to round into a complete three-down back Sunday after playing second fiddle to Dobbins for much of the year.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
The Ed Gein Story and All’s Fair were met with critical hostility — the first is a thematically repetitive and exploitative condemnation of true crime and the audience who loves it, the second a bizarrely overqualified ensemble of acting titans playing second fiddle to Kim Kardashian.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 17 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for second fiddle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for second fiddle
Noun
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The second is a resolution declaring a food apartheid in the City of Milwaukee – this will mirror a similar declaration by Milwaukee County.—
Everett Eaton,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Duren then hit Diabate in the face with his open right hand, starting a confrontation that lasted more than 30 seconds and ultimately ended with a brief police presence on the floor.—
Steve Reed,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The agency is working with its partners to stop hackers from exploiting any of the vulnerabilities identified in the report, said Nick Andersen, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
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But the university wanted a coach with more experience, Hunt said, and instead hired Bob Sundvold — a head coach at nearby Division II Central Missouri and, previously, a longtime assistant at Mizzou under the legendary Norm Stewart.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Last year, Republicans passed legislation to reduce spending on federal health programs and food assistance, largely by imposing work requirements on people receiving aid and by shifting certain costs onto the states.—
ALI SWENSON,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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The two work in tandem to enhance meal satisfaction, aid in weight management and support general health.—
Virginia Willis,
AJC.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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White House top aide Susie Wiles and a few of Ballard Partner’s top lobbyists are expected to testify at Rivera’s trial next month in Miami.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
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For his part, Nadler is endorsing his former aide, Democratic New York State Assemblyman Micah Lasher, to succeed him.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Anthony Anderson, 40, died when two sheriff’s deputies opened fire on him outside a house in the Fairmont Terrace neighborhood between San Leandro and Hayward, according to his mother, Kristina Anderson.—
Jakob Rodgers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Rodgers, a former deputy chief of strategic initiatives in Dallas ISD, came to DeSoto ISD in 2022, at a time when the district needed stability.—
Silas Allen,
Dallas Morning News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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At the time, there were an estimated 450 greater adjutant storks left in the region.—
Kyla Mandel,
TIME,
20 Feb. 2025
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Since 2019, when Woodward took over as the Gooding adjutant, that totals more than $23,000, according to an accounting obtained by the Statesman from the county clerk through a public records request.—
Kevin Fixler,
Idaho Statesman,
13 July 2024
Noun
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Schnurr came to Cincinnati in 2008 as coadjutor archbishop and took over as archbishop about a year later, upon the retirement of former Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk.—
Dan Horn,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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By 1997, he was named coadjutor archbishop of Buenos Aires, assuming full leadership of the archdiocese the following year.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Second fiddle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second%20fiddle. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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